John O'Shea banking on Earthquake's class first-up in Furious Stakes at Randwick

John O'Shea proved the nemesis for Darley in the Furious Stakes last year when Bound For Earth got the better of star filly Guelph. Things have moved on in bounds since then though; O'Shea has joined Sheikh Mohammed as his head trainer under the international brand of Godolphin.

The former north Queenslander has control of the star filly in the Furious – Blue Diamond winner Earthquake – which will carry the famous blue silks, but he knows she could be vulnerable.

"This race is a race the really good fillies go into it with a bit of improvement," he said. "I won it last year with a filly that was revved up and ready to go against a champion filly that had it all in front of her.

"It is a different race now it is at 1200 metres. Earthquake has to run this week or else we will be getting too far into the spring, but she will improve from it and she is very classy."

O'Shea is still getting a handle on the star quality of his stable but can't make a call on if they have improved from the autumn.

"All I can really go on is what I have seen since I have been here," he said. "She is a top filly and has done everything right."

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The team at Godolphin is confident, racing manager Jason Walsh says the Exceed And Excel filly has gone forward from her stellar juvenile year, which finished with a second to Mossfun in the Golden Slipper.

"She is every bit as good as she was as a two-year-old," Walsh said. "I have watched her since she was a baby and she is taking the right steps to go to the next level as a three-year-old. I [am] confident she is in for a good spring."

Earthquake is joined by Memorial in the $175,000 group 2 Furious, while Walsh is also looking forward to the return of Safeguard in the 1000m Concorde Stakes, where the track conditions will dictate if Godolphin's Sessions runs.

"You have to remember that Safeguard was a Golden Slipper horse as two-year-old before he got a virus," he said. "He is back to that sort of form and we have been very happy with way he has come back."

O'Shea put blinkers on Safeguard at his last run when a close-up sixth in the Queensland Guineas after tracking wide throughout. Safeguard has had them on in his two barrier trials to ready him for his first-up appearance.

"They have helped him and he is fresh and gets into the right race," O'Shea said.

Meanwhile, Meursault is still a chance of getting to the Golden Rose, despite being scratched from Saturday's Ming Dynasty because of a slight quarter crack.

"He worked very well on Tuesday but he pulled up a bit scratchy and we decided to treat him, so it meant missing Saturday and hopefully we can have him right for the Golden Rose," Walsh said.